Former Iranian hostage, Barry Rosen, thinks that the US can move from the precipice of war with Iran. While he may be a little more hopeful than others that the US will not throw the world into World War III, Rosen’s view of Iranian politics and its nuclear program are accurate and refreshing to hear, especially on CNN’s website. Rosen makes clear that a politically fractured and economically hurting Iran does not want to risk its obliteration by ticking off the US:

First, Iran’s “civilian” nuclear program reaches back to the pre-revolutionary days of the Shah of Iran, and there is no proof, whether from the International Atomic Energy Agency or the U.S., that Iran is actually building a bomb.

Second, it’s widely reported that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are in open conflict today, not only politically but also theologically.

While this rift is esoteric to Westerners, Tehran takes it very seriously. It comes down to Ahmadinejad trying to change the entire foundation of Iran’s theological-political infrastructure by asserting that he, not Khamenei, has a direct relationship with the Shi’ite Mahdi, or messiah. Khamenei has responded by condemning Ahmadinejad and his followers as the “deviant stream.”